Chapter 9

Assayer -- reference to the Bahá'u'lláh

By "divines" in the passage cited above is meant those men who outwardly
attire themselves with the raiment of knowledge, but who inwardly are
deprived therefrom. In this connection, We quote from the Tablet addressed
to His Majesty the Shah, certain passages from the "Hidden Words" which
were revealed by the Abha Pen under the name of the "Book of Fatimih," the
blessings of God be upon her!

"O ye that are foolish, yet have a name to be wise! Wherefore do ye wear
the guise of the shepherd, when inwardly ye have become wolves, intent upon
My flock? Ye are even as the star, which riseth ere the dawn, and which,
though it seem radiant and luminous, leadeth the wayfarers of My city
astray into the paths of perdition."

And likewise He saith: "O ye seeming fair yet inwardly foul! Ye are like
clear but bitter water, which to outward seeming is crystal pure but of
which, when tested by the Divine Assayer, not a drop is accepted. Yea, the
sunbeam falls alike upon the dust and the mirror, yet differ they in
reflection even as doth the star from the earth: nay, immeasurable is the
difference!"
--Bahá'u'lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 15

Assayers -- references to Dependent Prophets.

I swear by Him Who is Our Beloved and your Beloved, that if one's life be
not offered up in His path, it would not be worth even as much as a mustard
seed, and if one's inmost being were not laid down at His feet, it would
appear more abject and insignificant than a pebble. However, none but the
divine Assayers are able to recognize this gem. In truth, when bereft of
vision, what advantage would one gain by entering into the all-highest
Paradise? If destitute of hearing, what can one perceive by drawing close
unto the celestial Tree of Blessedness? The Assayers of these priceless
gems are such souls unto whom the following tribute is paid: 'They that
speak not till He hath spoken and act according to His commandment.'
Likewise He saith: 'They whom neither merchandise nor traffic beguile from
the remembrance of the Almighty.'
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Compilations, Fire and Light, p. 12

Then the gales of divine tests and the winds of lordly temptation blew
from the Sheba of the everlasting Cause. They became distracted by the
beauty of the wine server and grew heedless of the immortal countenance,
to the extent that they imagined the shadow to be the sun and phantoms
to be light. They set out for the ladders of the greatest name so that
they might scale those heavens and arrive at that seat and place. When
they rose toward it, the divine assayers descended upon them with the
sacred touchstone, by the irresistible decree of the lord. When these
emissaries did not perceive the scent of the spiritual youth, they forbade
entry to all.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Tablet of the Holy Mariner (from the Persian).

69. O CHILDREN OF ADAM!
Holy words and pure and goodly deeds ascend unto the heaven of celestial
glory. Strive that your deeds may be cleansed from the dust of self and
hypocrisy and find favor at the court of glory; for ere long the assayers
of mankind shall, in the holy presence of the Adored One, accept naught
but absolute virtue and deeds of stainless purity. This is the daystar of
wisdom and of divine mystery that hath shone above the horizon of the
divine will. Blessed are they that turn thereunto.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 46

Persian no. 69
This holy verse is replete with meaning, and as time is pressing only a
brief mention is made as follows: naught else but upright conduct and
pure deeds shall be accepted at His divine Threshold. ('Abdu'l-Bahá from
a Tablet to an individual believer -- translated from the Persian)

35. O MY FRIENDS!
Quench ye the lamp of error, and kindle within your hearts the everlasting
torch of divine guidance. For ere long the assayers of mankind shall, in
the holy presence of the Adored, accept naught but purest virtue and deeds
of stainless holiness.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 34

Just as the term "assayer" is applied to Bahá'u'lláh and the DependentProphets, similarly Bahá'u'lláh refers to himself as the Maid of Heavenin the passage below and also refers to the Dependent Prophets as theMaids of Heaven in the next passage.

O ye beloved of God! O ye children of His Kingdom! Verily, verily the
new heaven and the new earth are come. The holy City, new Jerusalem,
hath come down from on high in the form of a maid of heaven, veiled,
beauteous, and unique, and prepared for reunion with her lovers on earth.
The angelic company of the celestial Concourse have joined in a call that
hath rung throughout the universe, all loudly and mightily acclaiming:
"Hail, O City of God! Abide Thou, and make Thy habitation with the
pure, virtuous and holy servants of Thine; for they are Thy people, and
Thou art their Lord."
-- Compilation, Bahá'í World Faith, p. 350

O My servants! Through the might of God and His power, and out of the
treasury of His knowledge and wisdom, I have brought forth and revealed
unto you the pearls that lay concealed in the depths of His everlasting
ocean. I have summoned the Maids of Heaven to emerge from behind the veil
of concealment, and have clothed them with these words of Mine--words of
consummate power and wisdom. I have, moreover, with the hand of divine
power, unsealed the choice wine of My Revelation, and have wafted its holy,
its hidden, and musk-laden fragrance upon all created things. Who else but
yourselves is to be blamed if ye choose to remain unendowed with so great
an outpouring of God's transcendent and all-encompassing grace, with so
bright a revelation of His resplendent mercy?...
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 327